To The End
by Xstrawberry0fieldsforeverX
Summary: How many things can possibly go wrong while planning a wedding? Craig and Ashley are about to find out. CrAsh
1. White Wedding

"Ash, this is so exciting," My maid of honor and best friend, Ellie whispers into my ear. I smile and nod along, staring into the large mirror in front of me. Exciting? That may be an understatement. It's only the day I've been dreaming of since I was seven years old. Although the groom has changed dramatically from whom I first visualized it to be. But hey, I was seven, can you blame me for wanting to marry Nick Carter at the time?

I reach up to push a loose strand of hair from my eyes, only to have Paige slap my hand away.

"You'll mess it up," She scolds, pushing it away by herself. I feel like a doll sitting here. Everyone's helping me get dressed, do my hair, my makeup, everything. Like I couldn't have done this alone.

"Paige, I thought we agreed it was going to be let down and curled," Hazel argues as Paige starts to put my hair up into a bun.

"Who's the hair stylist here?" Paige snaps, turning back to do my hair.

"He is going to be blown away by how beautiful you're going to look today," Hazel comments, sighing.

"As if I don't look beautiful every day?"

"No… it's just…you know… Your wedding gown, your hair, makeup, everything! You're not even wearing black today," She replies. I roll my eyes, and see Ellie do the same.

"You must be so excited, though," She comments.

_"I know last time I did this, it was a little rushed… Unplanned…" He held out a small box to me, my heart beating in anticipation, "I love you so much, Ash…I know we've tried this so many times… But I want it to last. Forever." He bent down on one knee, opened the box, holding it out to me._

_"Ashley Lynn Kerwin, will you marry me?" Tears of joy sprung from my eyes as I nodded, placing his mother's beautiful diamond ring onto my finger. I leapt into his arms, tears still running down my cheeks._

_"Yes," I murmured into his shirt. "Yes, I'd love to," I said, pulling away from his embrace_.

The way he'd done it was so romantic, too. He had taken me to this park with a long, extravagant hedge maze, forming a heart in the middle of it. When I had reached the center of it, he played the first love song he had written for me, then had bent down on one knee and proposed. Because my fiancé and soon to be husband was and always would be a true romantic.

And sure, you'd think that because both of us were in love, he was the perfect guy, it was the perfect engagement, it would only be smooth sailing from there. You'd think that, but you'd be dead wrong. But it's a very long story.

A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts.. Paige abruptly stops what she was doing, turns toward the door.

"Craig, you can't come in! You're not allowed to see the bride like this before the wedding!" She yells. Yeah, I, Ashley Kerwin am getting married to Craig Manning today. Not only am I excited, but I'm also extremely nervous. Prior to our wedding day, so many events occurred that could be taken by a superstitious person to be bad omens.

"It's not Craig, it's Caitlin," The voice informs from the other side of the door. Ellie smiles, walks over to open it. Why is Caitlin here instead of my mother? That's only part of the long and complicated story. Five years ago, I would have told you that passing school was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. Wrong. The hardest thing I'd ever had to do was plan this wedding.

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**Yeah, for once I decided to do a fic that wasn't 'emo'. And... I know most Degrassi fics don't get a lot of reviews... but I'm hoping this one will actually get at least five for each chapter?**


	2. Plans

**As you'll notice, this'll take place the day after Craig proposes, and will be about the events leading up to their wedding. Mostly going to be Romance/Humor, but there will be some drama. And thanks so much for the reviews!**

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"Come on…Come on…" I muttered impatiently, standing outside Ellie's apartment. The door swung open, and I was greeted by a tired looking, boxer clad Sean.

"Ash, it's ten in the morning. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" I nodded, grinning, barely able to control my excitement.

"Is Ellie up yet?"

"In the shower," He replied, motioning behind him.

"Damn. Okay… Well when she gets out, both of you meet me at the Dot around eleven or so."

"And you couldn't have called…because?" I shrugged.

"I hadn't actually thought of that. I'll call back in ten minutes when you try to fall asleep again." With that, I waved a quick goodbye and left the apartment building.

XxX

"So, tell me again why you came to our apartment at ten in the morning and interrupted my sleep?" Sean asked, about an hour later as he and Ellie sat down at a table with Craig and I at the Dot. Paige, Spinner, Hazel, Jimmy, and Marco had arrived too, on my request.

"Well-"

"We're engaged!" I blurted out, grinning broadly as I told them the news.

"Ash, that's great!" Ellie squealed uncharacteristically, leaning over to hug me.

"Let me see the ring," Paige and Hazel said at once. I reached out my hand, displaying the large diamond ring Craig had given to me. They examined it for a while, and then looked up at my fiancé, nodding in approval.

"Just checking…" Paige stated, staring at him suspiciously.

"It was my mom's old ring. It's not cheap, trust me."

"Just checking," Paige repeated, grabbing a sugar packet for her coffee and pouring it in.

"Congrats, man," Marco said, beaming at Craig. Jimmy, Spinner, and Sean each grunted a 'congratulations', all looking somewhat afraid that they would be expected to go next.

"So how did he propose?" Ellie asked, surprisingly interested. I glanced over, smiled at Craig, who beamed back at me.

"Last night, we went for a walk outside. And while we were walking around, we came near this park, and it had a hedge maze, shaped like a heart. He insisted that we go in, and that we both go separate ways so that we could meet in the middle. When I finally made it to the middle, he was standing there, and he played the first love song he wrote for me in grade 10." The smile on my face was widening as I got into further detail about Craig's proposal. "Then he proposed," I finished. The look on Paige, Hazel, Ellie, and even Marco's faces were of awe, amazement, and a hint of jealousy, which I pretended not to notice.

"That is so… romantic," Paige admired, smiling. The smile quickly left her face, and she turned, hit Spinner harshly on the arm. "How come you never do anything that romantic?!" I held back the urge to laugh at the expression on Spinner's face. It was as if his worse nightmare had come true.

"I… I'm romantic!" He stuttered, unsure of himself.

"Hon, you don't even open the car door for me anymore!"

"I'm respecting your independence as a woman," Spinner said. I was surprised that his answer didn't sound as stupid as usual. "Because I know that you can open it yourself, so I-"

"Oh please."

"Dude! What is wrong with you?" Spinner cried to Craig, "Now you're making me look bad!"

"And this changes things how?" Ellie asked, causing Spinner to scowl at her.

"Hey, why are you picking on me? Your boyfriend is sitting right there."

"I gotta go take a piss," Sean grunted, then quickly got up and left the table.

"Oh, he'll get his…" The redhead muttered, staring after her boyfriend.

"Thanks, man, for ruining our days already," Jimmy joked, smirking.

"That's why I'm here. Ash is gonna ruin my day tomorrow, anyway."

"How?"

"We'll be off to go tell everyone's favorite soon-to-be mother-in-law that her daughter is marrying the spawn of Satan."

"I have to, okay? She is my mom…"

"Ash, the last time we talked to her, she didn't seem too happy to be acquainted with either of us. I'm the son of a bitch who knocked you up, remember? And you're the idiot who was stupid enough to take the son of a bitch back."

"Craig…" I warned, hoping to end the conversation.

"Awkward," Spinner whispered, though stared intently, watching our conversation.

"Where is Jake anyway?" Paige asked, after hitting Spinner on the arm again.

"Ange is watching him," Craig informed.

"Isn't she like ten?" Spinner asked, confused.

"Try fourteen, Spin."

"Since when?"

"Man, you are really not having a good day," Sean commented, sitting back down at the table.

"Actually, my day hasn't been that bad," Spinner replied.

"He meant-"

"El, just leave it."

"Okay," Paige said, rising from the table, "Ash, Ellie, Hazel, and Marco are coming back to my apartment to start planning the wedding. You guys are going to pay the bill."

"Don't I get any say in my own-"

"No," All of us chorused. We rose from the table and left the guys to pay the bill.

XxX

"What is all of this?" I asked, looking through a whole pile of magazines and catalogues that Paige had laid on her coffee table.

"All the stuff you're going to need for the wedding. Ring places, catering, dresses, maid of honor dresses, wedding places, honeymoon spots, wedding singers, all of it." She paused, then spoke again, "Don't tell Spin. It might scare him."

"I don't really want a big wedding…I'm not sure Craig does either…"

"Anyway, first off, where do you want to have it?"

"I've always kind of dreamed of having a wedding on the beach…"

"No. You can't do that. So many things could go wrong."

"Like what?" Ellie asked.

"Okay, one, it's dirty. There are like cigarette butts on the ground. And how do you walk in the sand in high heels? And what if your dress gets messed up?"

"The beach screws up your hair, too," Hazel added.

I sighed. Having Hazel and Paige help me with this was not the best idea in the world.

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**A/N- I don't know if anyone's confused about this, but Ashley and Craig do have a child, Jake, whom they had while they were only boyfriend and girlfriend, which angered Kate, of course. I'll go into detail about him in the next chapter or so...**


	3. Passenger Seat

"A phone call would do…"

"Don't."

"An invitation in the mail…"

"Craig…"

"Skywriting over her house…"

"Craig, I'm serious…"

"A long piece of string with a cup at both ends…"

"Craig," I warned again, though amused at his random ideas.

"A tape recording in the mail that explodes ten seconds after you read it, even…"

"Craig!"

"Oh… What?"

"Shut your mouth and keep your eyes on the road. You know we have do to this."

"Ash, weren't you listening to my ideas? Ever since I watched _Inspector Gadget_ when I was a kid, I'd always wanted to try out one of those explosive tape recordings…"

"Okay, maybe we don't _have_ to see her. But I want to. I just think maybe it might fix things a bit…" He snorted; his eyes steady on the road.

"Yeah, I'm sure that'll help. Marrying the 'son of a bitch' who knocked you up… Who cheated on you… Who she thinks is on the list of the world's worst people, right between Michael Jackson and Courtney Love."

"Now she'll understand that we're finally committed. We're going to be together forever."

"Like she believed that a couple months ago when I-"

"Craig, shut up and keep driving."

"You know this is a bad idea. She's going to take one look at you, notice the incredibly hot guy, aka the spawn of Satan, right next to you, and slam the door in your face. That's how it works with Ellie's mom and Sean. That's how it's always been with us… As long as you're with me, she doesn't want anything to do with you." I frowned, hearing the harsh words, but I knew they were true. Marrying Craig would be seen as some sort of failure to her, as everything else involving Craig had been.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I nodded, now looking down, fidgeting with a silver bracelet around my wrist.

"You're sure? 'Cause that tape recording offer is still available," He reminded in a failing attempt to cheer me up. It wasn't that I really wanted to go see my mother… It was more of the fact that I thought I owed her… She had a right to know about these kinds of things… She is my mother after all; even though she wants nothing to do with me.

"No… We have to do this… okay? I feel like I owe it to her."

"How do you-"

"Craig," I interrupted, holding a hand up, "If we're going to get married, you have to start agreeing with me without questioning my decisions."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm the woman and you're the man. In simpler terms, I'm superior." I stated, grinning. No matter how bad I was feeling, spending time with Craig could always cheer me up. Unless, of course, Craig was the problem. Then talking about Craig behind his back would cheer me up.

"Huh… Now there's something they should teach you in school," He declared, still distracted by the road.

"Yup…"

"They should also teach you how to deal with insane parents. Can we just see Joey first?"

"You're stalling…"

"Your dad?"

"Fly to England just to tell him I'm getting married?"

"I'm stalling…"

"I know you are."

"Let's go see how Toby's doing."

"I already called him."

"I haven't talked to Manny in a while…"

"God, would you just shut up already? You're supposed to agree with whatever I say. I'm superior, remember?"

"Oh… forgot."

"And that's why I'm superior."

"I believe that you believe you are."

"Shut up," I said, laughing. I lightly hit him on the arm.

"Do you want to get into a car accident? Wait… it'll stall time… Hit me again." I sighed, crossing my arms.

"Ash, you know the minute she sees me we're going to have to run away. She'll probably have Jeff armed with a gun… Start shooting at us…"

"What are we? Hillbillies? Craig, she'll give us a chance, okay?"

"Alright," he said with a sigh. As we approached my mom's house, he slowed down, hesitating when he was about to pull into the driveway.

"Do you think I'm allowed to do that?"

"Yes," I replied, rolling my eyes, "You are allowed to use the driveway."

"What if it sets off some kind of anti-Craig warning? We might get electrocuted."

"I can see the start of the conversation now. 'Mom, I'm marrying the most annoying man in the world who won't leave me alone and whom you've hated since he was fifteen. Oh, and he's extremely paranoid, so don't scare him.'" He snorted, pulling into the driveway.

"I have the right to be paranoid."

"Right…" As he unlocked the doors, both of us exited the car on either side. I began to walk up the front steps of my old house, before realizing Craig was not by my side. Huffing, I turned around, grabbed Craig roughly by the arm and dragged him up the steps to the house. Pressing the faded golden doorbell, I heard the soft thump of someone's footsteps nearing the door.

"Dun, dun, dunnn," Craig whispered in a singsong tone.

The old wooden door opened, and we were faced with a tall, somewhat stout man with graying hair.

"Ashley?" Jeff asked raising his eyebrows. "Craig…" He started, his tone portraying his less than happy attitude towards the younger man.

"Surprise?" He offered weakly.

"Umm… We have something to tell you guys… Is mom home?"

"Yeah…" He turned towards Craig, and then towards me again, "She's not going to be happy about this…"

"It's not… bad news…" I explained, "Can we come in?"

"Uh… yeah…" He moved aside, allowing Craig and I to enter. As we walked inside, my mom turned around from where she sat on the living room sofa.

"Ash."

"Umm… we have some news…" I started, keeping my gaze down at the floor. My shoes were suddenly the most interesting things in the room.

"Oh really? Enlighten me."

"Well… Craig and I… we're going to get married." I slowly glanced up, waiting for the expression on her face to change. To pride, happiness, something positive? I don't know what I was expecting. She remained silent.

"Mom?"

"Ms. Kerwin-" Craig started, but was interrupted as she started to speak.

"What? Did you think I would be proud of you two?"

"I-"

"Ashley, you're twenty two years old. Just out of college last year. Can you actually tell me you think it's a good idea for you to move this fast? And with him?!"

"Why-"

"And for someone who just had a baby?"

"Mom, you know we-"

"I doubt you'll even-"

"Mom, would you just listen to me?!" I yelled, frustrated that I could not even get one word in without interruption. "Seven years ago when Craig cheated on me? I forgave him. That was _seven_ years ago. And it's not like he did anything to you! He's done nothing but try to get your approval, and you still haven't forgiven him! Last year? I admit we made a mistake, but we handled it responsibly. And I do think I'm going to make it with him. I came here to talk to you. Not some letter in the mail or some five- second phone call. I was hoping we could fix things, but I guess not, seeing as you're still so pigheaded about this when it's not even your problem! These are my decisions, mom. This is my life. I still want you to be a part of it, but…" I trailed off, stared at the floor again.

"Honestly?" I spoke quietly, "I can't see that happening anymore…"

"These are your decisions, huh? You chose to take the guy who cheated on you back? You chose to get into a relationship that failed two other times before? You chose to have sex with him and got yourself knocked up? And now you're choosing to marry him. Does he even have a steady job?"

"Uh… I own a music store…"

"Great. And when that goes out of business?"

"It won't, mom." I stated sharply. "I trust him."

"Maybe so, but I still can't trust your decisions seeing as they're so irresponsible. It's my job to look out for you, but after your daughter screws up so many times, sometimes you just get tired of trying. I can't support your decisions, and I can't accept that you keep doing this to yourself," She said, motioning to Craig. "But, as you've said: this is your life, and these are your decisions. Just don't expect to see me at the wedding. When you screw up again,

don't cry to me about it. You're obviously wise enough to make your own decisions."

"Ms. Kerwin-" Blinking back tears, I grabbed Craig by the arm, pulling him towards the door.

"Let's go, Craig."

"Ash-"

"Let's go." I repeated firmly. Reluctantly, he agreed, following me from the house. I let the door shut behind me with a loud slam.

"Ash," He whispered, using his thumb to brush a stray tear from my eyes.

"Craig, she's my mom. My own mother won't be at my wedding." He nodded, wrapping his arms around me.

"Neither will mine."

"I'm sure she'd have wanted to be," I whispered.

"I'm sure your mom does too… Maybe if I pretended to be someone else… Do you think the standard fake glasses, nose, and moustache would fool her?" I smiled slightly, pressed my lips lightly against the warmth of his cheek.

"You can't wear that to my wedding."

"What if I got something like that Michael Jackson skin disease? Maybe she'd be fooled." He shrugged, opening the door for me.

"If you wake up tomorrow and look anything like Michael Jackson, I'm leaving you." I informed him, climbing into the car.

"Ouch." He closed the door and walked around to the other side, settling into the driver's seat. I looked out the window staring at the house I used to call my home. I doubt I was even welcome there anymore after this fight. Which wasn't as bad as the last one, but this time I definitely knew she wouldn't want me to come back, no matter what I did.

"Ash," Craig started, as he pulled out of the driveway. "There's still a chance she might show up…"

"I know." Was my reply, although I was pretty sure neither of us expected her to show up.

"Ash…" Craig started again.

"Hmm?"

"No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you. And no matter how much shit we go through, we're going to face it together."

"I know."

"Good." There was a pregnant pause before he spoke again.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"No matter what your mom says… I don't think you've screwed up." It was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"Ash?"

"Mmm?"

"I believe in us." I smiled.

_I roll the window down  
And then begin to breathe in  
The darkest country road  
And the strong scent of evergreen  
From the passenger seat as you are driving me home._

_Then looking upwards  
I strain my eyes and try  
To tell the difference between shooting stars and satellites  
From the passenger seat as you are driving me home._

_"Do they collide?"  
I ask and you smile.  
With my feet on the dash  
The world doesn't matter._

_When you feel embarrassed then i'll be your pride  
When you need directions then i'll be the guide  
For all time.  
For all time._

**_Passenger Seat- Death Cab for Cutie_**

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_**A/n: So, so, so, so, so, so , so, so, SORRY. I've been taking a month to update each chapter... I procrastinate and get distracted with other fics... and school is kicking my ass... Sorry! I'll try to update sooner next time.**


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